Fashion’s Production Problem: Why SME Designers Struggle—and What the Industry Needs to Change
Jul 2, 2025
3
min reading
“Fashion doesn’t fail at sketch — it fails at production.”
This quote comes from a recent Instagram post by 1 Granary and AZ Academy. It may be simple and direct, but it strikes at a deeper truth about how fashion design really works—resonating with the lived experiences of countless entrepreneurs and emerging brands.
The post not only gathered thousands likes, but also drew in many comments, a clear sign that people from across the industry not only agreed, but deeply connected with the message: “This is the best post I've seen on the subject since I closed my brand due to complete burnout. Every word 100% true”, commented one user.
As the quote suggests, the post dives into the often-overlooked struggles of fashion production - how complex and sensitive it really is, especially for those on the production front lines, and even more so for emerging designers.
It’s a critical conversation to have, as garment production is often mistaken (even by insiders) as a process driven only by creativity, design thinking, vision, and technical skill.
But it runs deeper: the journey from concept to consumer is far more complicated than sketching a lookbook.
In fact, around 80% of new fashion brands fail within their first five years, and a major culprit is what happens after the design phase.
This happens because what happens behind the scenes in production is a layered reality, one that involves far more than talent and ideas. It’s a web of process, intersection, collaboration, community, and labor that takes more than two hands, and more than one brain.
So, if we’re to change the narrative, we need to dive deeper into the unseen challenges of fashion production - keep reading.
From Moodboard to Mayhem: The Gap Between Fashion’s Dream and Production’s Reality
In fashion, at the same time vision comes easily, execution rarely does.
Yet the dream of working in fashion rarely matches how it truly functions: design students and early-career creatives are often trained to lead with concept—moodboards, aesthetic signatures, aspirational brands—but aren’t equipped for the far more complex challenge of actually making what they imagine.
And this is where most new brands stumble.
It’s not that the conceptual phase doesn’t matter. It’s that production requires a completely different skillset: navigating global supply chains, managing lead times, sourcing dependable fabrics, calculating unit economics, and aligning with suppliers who might be working across time zones and juggling many different clients.
Each roll of fabric in a studio holds more than a creative intention. It represents decisions, timelines, risk, and negotiation. And the pressure to get it right is relentless.
For designers, the lesson is clear: creativity may launch the vision, but production decides whether that vision becomes real.
That’s why its important to keep your feet on the ground.
The Problem with Romanticizing the Process
Imagination is one of a designer’s greatest assets—but when paired with an overly romanticized view of the industry, it can become a barrier.
The fashion world is often portrayed through the lens of glamour: trade shows, fashion weeks, studio photoshoots, and the dream of being your own boss. But behind the visuals, the work is grueling, high-pressure, and often unpredictable.
As The Fashion Business Coach puts it:
Behind all of the styled photos, mood boards, international travel and creativity, there’s a lot of hard work—and always will be. It's not for the faint hearted.
That tension is also mentioned by independent designer Carl Wesley, who shared his experience candidly in a YouTube post titled 4 Hard Truths of Being a Fashion Designer:
“I made the hard decision to close because I discovered the business had grown into something I didn’t enjoy anymore. I created a fashion business so I could focus on designing—but that’s not what it turned out to be.”
His takeaway? Designing is only a small fraction of what running a fashion brand actually demands. Production, timelines, and supplier management quickly take over - and those systems rarely move at the pace of your imagination.
As fashion business innovation specialist Julia Vilaça explains:
“Everything takes a long time—especially when you’re working with suppliers who are juggling dozens of other clients. If production gets delayed, the entire launch and brand planning can fall apart.
From sending tech packs to approving samples, and from ordering materials to final delivery, every step is a race against the calendar. And delays in any part of the chain create ripple effects that can derail an entire season.
That’s why production is the true pressure point of fashion. After all, deadlines aren’t just operational issues—they’re existential. In other words, they can cost a brand’s existence.
A missed production deadline can mean a missed market window. A quality problem in a first delivery can mean lost retail partners or refund demands. A single supply chain disruption can push a brand beyond its financial limits.
Layered on top of that, SMEs face compounding disadvantages: limited production know-how, little negotiation power, and minimal access to vetted suppliers. Plus, the industry is not built to back them up.
Why the System Is Set Up Against Small Brands
If you’re an emerging designer feeling overwhelmed by the production maze, know that it’s not just you.
The broader system has historically been stacked against smaller brands. Most of the sourcing and manufacturing ecosystem was built to serve big players churning out high volumes, not independent labels looking for flexibility, transparency, or low minimums.
As highlighted in Fashion innovation:
“Nine out of 10 new brands don’t see their fifth year of existence because there are so many challenges getting product made and delivered.”
The result is that new and small fashion businesses find themselves navigating a complex, fragmented supply chain with very little visibility and almost zero negotiation power.
And the hurdles come at an early stage - according to Glossy, one of the toughest challenges about starting a fashion brand is securing a manufacturing partner:
As outlined in the article, this happens because “factories often require minimum order quantities to make a new partnership worth their while, so a brand with only enough money to manufacture small runs of initial products will have a hard time finding a factory.”
In other words, unless you can place an order in the thousands, you’re not a priority.
This creates a classic loop: you can’t grow without reliable production, but as a small brand you struggle to find a reliable producer willing to work with you.
The consequence? Many small brands end up forced into orders larger than they can comfortably sell, or they settle for subpar manufacturers because those are the only ones available for low volumes.
This all circles back to the 1 Granary and AZ Academy post, where one of the slides states that a business needs to operate like an orchestra: “Each individual must perform their part well to deliver an exceptional product. They all need to work in harmony – or your brand will fall out of tune.”
And even if you’re not working within a company structure and operate autonomously, this mindset must still carry through to your counterparts in the supply chain – suppliers, manufacturers, and beyond.
But for SMEs navigating an uneven playing field, maintaining that level of connectivity is undeniably harder.
And the worst part? It makes the value chain more difficult to track, trace, and render transparent. While a large company might have an entire sourcing team, audits, robust data, and agents on the ground, a startup is often flying blind – relying on factory claims and hoping materials arrive as promised.
The bigger picture is: the old ways of operating in fashion weren’t built with emerging designers in mind. And its time for a big change to happen in the inustry.
The Solution? A Smarter Path to Production
1 Granary’s post drops some solid wisdom for emerging designers trying to stay afloat in the turbulent waters of production.
With production expert Marzia Narduzzi weighing in, they share grounded advice:
Don’t underestimate the financial timeline (expenses hit early, revenue comes late).
Make production part of your brand identity and storytelling.
Keep your vision sharp, and your partners closer than ever.
And others.
These are insightful, practical takeaways. But here’s the real question: Is trimming the edges of a massive problem enough? Or are we just taping wounds without healing the system?
Yes, independent designers and SMEs can hustle smarter — with strategies, creativity, and sheer resilience.
But imagine the impact if the entire industry moved together. Not as isolated players, but as a connected ecosystem rethinking production from the ground up.
Because at its core, the fashion industry is grappling with something much deeper: unstable sourcing, fragmented supply chains, and outdated systems that no longer serve the realities of modern fashion.
These aren’t just momentary obstacles -they’re structural flaws.
As supply chain expert Jeanine Ballone puts it,
The industry can’t keep working in silos and in the old ways of sourcing. We need a new vision and a new system that brings us up together, as a whole.
And she’s right. A reimagined, collaborative supply chain is the only path forward if we want sustainable, equitable production to be more than just a buzzword.
How would a new system look like?
A new system would be based in models that level the playing field through technology and collaboration. It’s about creating a smart, digitally-enabled, and values-driven supply chains that give small brands access to tools and partners once reserved for industry giants.
The old way of sourcing (trade shows, personal introductions, and scattered emails and spreadsheets) simply doesn’t match the pace or complexity of today’s fashion economy. What the industry needs now is a smarter system: one built for speed, transparency, and access.
A modern sourcing model should do more than connect buyers to materials. It should level the playing field.
That means using technology and collaboration to open up supply chains, equip smaller players with the same advantages as larger ones, and build production processes that actually support creativity rather than stall it.
Why digital? Because that’s what the market demands.
We’re seeing a global shift: trade disruptions, evolving tariffs, mandatory regulations, and traceability requirements like Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are reshaping the landscape. In this context, digital tools are a necessity.
That doesn’t mean in-person sourcing should disappear. Trade shows, mill visits, and studio swatching still have value.
But the future of sourcing is hybrid: brands need access to materials and suppliers from anywhere, at any time, without having to fly across the globe or wait three weeks for a quote. In today’s fast-moving fashion cycle, digitally-enabled infrastructure becomes the baseline for survival—not a bonus.
And importantly, digital sourcing isn’t new. What’s new is what it can be part of: not just a tool, but a system. A system that supports every stage of production, not just the material search.
We’re talking about ecosystems.
The Ecosystem Approach: How Fashion Moves Forward
A true fashion ecosystem is an interconnected hub of suppliers, resources, education, and tools that support brands through every step of the production journey.
Here’s how it helps solve the real-world pain points designers and brands face every day:
Can’t access the right suppliers?
A sourcing ecosystem curates and vets partners, allowing brands to search, compare, and connect with global manufacturers directly, without needing insider networks or in-person introductions.
Struggling to find the right fabrics?
Through a digital marketplace embedded in the ecosystem, brands gain access to a wide range of certified textiles—from high-performance blends to artisan-made materials. Everything can be sampled, compared, and ordered in just a few clicks.
High MOQs getting in the way?
Ecosystem models prioritize flexibility. Many suppliers in these networks offer low or negotiable minimums, designed to meet the needs of emerging and scaling brands.
Always racing the clock?
Time is production’s biggest enemy. Ecosystems remove friction by integrating sourcing, communication, and order management in one place, reducing delays and streamlining approvals to help brands move faster.
Lacking production knowledge?
A true ecosystem includes an educational hub, offering expert guidance on fibers, certifications, sourcing strategies, and production workflows. It’s like having a sourcing coach built in.
Can’t keep up with changing regulations or traceability demands?
Ecosystems go beyond education. They offer built-in traceability tools, like Digital Product Passport (DPP) capabilities, so that compliance isn’t an afterthought - it’s part of the sourcing process from the start.
World Collective: Building the Ecosystem Fashion Needs
The good news? This ecosystem isn’t theoretical. It’s already being built.
At World Collective, we’re creating a connected, values-driven sourcing ecosystem designed to serve today’s fashion reality—one where production is global, timelines are tight, and transparency is non-negotiable.
And part of that system is already live.
A Marketplace That Goes Beyond Materials
World Collective’s digital marketplace is not just a place to browse fabrics. It’s a starting point for building smarter collections. Designers can:
Discover textiles from verified suppliers across the globe
Filter by sustainability credentials, MOQ, fiber type, and geography
Request swatches, place sample orders, and manage materials in one place
Have access to beautiful, unique, eco-conscious and certified fabrics
But more importantly, the marketplace is integrated into a broader system that supports production holistically, from planning to traceability.
We’re designing a platform that helps brands design with production in mind. That means sourcing materials that work with your pricing model, identifying supply chain partners who can scale with you, and making timelines feel less like guesswork.
The Future of Fashion Production Is Collaborative, Digital, and Strategic
Fashion doesn’t need more tools. It needs systems.
The alternative to the fragmented, outdated production path is a digitally connected, transparency-first ecosystem that treats small brands as serious players. World Collective is building that reality—where a young designer can operate with the intelligence, access, and flexibility of a major brand.
Making it in fashion will always require grit. But it shouldn’t require guesswork.
To learn more about where fashion sourcing is headed—and how World Collective is building the ecosystem to meet it—check out:
Digital Textile Sourcing: The Infrastructure Fashion Actually Needs
Smarter Supply Chains Start Here: Inside World Collective’s Ecosystem
And to stay updated with our ecosystem launches, follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.
The future of fashion doesn’t just belong to those who design. It belongs to those who can make it happen.
Written by Maria Eugênia Lima, Content & Marketing Intern at World Collective
